Container



Oct. 9, 1956 s. HlLLMAN 2,765,949

CONTAINER Filed 001;. 23, 1953 CONTAINER Swan Hillman, Rockford, Ill. Application October 23, 1953, Serial No. 387,989 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-31) This invention relates to containers of the type having a generally rectangular open topped body and a separately formed cover or lid hinged on one end of the body by parts formed integrally with the body and the cover.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of the hinge parts and the adjacent portions of the body and the cover of a container of the above character to enable the body and the cover to be assembled automatically by pressing the cover downwardly onto the body and to be formed easily by molding a thermosetting plastic material.

A more detailed object is to form hinge parts on projections extending laterally from the cover and into the body and to construct the latter in a novel manner to permit such location of the projections and to facilitate their insertion into the body.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container embodying the novel features of the present invention and shown with the cover in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal center sectional view of the container with the cover in its opened position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2 with the cover closed.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary exploded view similar to Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view similar to Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the body with the cover removed.

In the drawings, the invention is shown for purposes of illustration embodied in a container especially adapted to be formed by molding a suitable thermosetting plastic material such as Lucite or Bakelite and comprising generally an open topped body 10 and a separately formed cover or lid 11 adapted to fit on and close the open top of the body. The latter is of elongated rectangular shape having laterally spaced parallel side walls 12 upstanding from a bottom wall 13 and spanned at opposite ends by parallel front and rear end walls 14 and 15.

The cover 11 is of generally flat rectangular shape and, at its rear end, is pivotally connected to the rear end portion of the body by a hinge 16 whose parts are formed integral with the body and the cover. In this instance, the cover is of U-shaped cross section having parallel side walls 17 depending from a top wall 18 and spanned at opposite ends by front and rear end walls 19 and 20, the lower edges of the depending cover walls abutting the top edges of the upstanding body walls when the cover is closed as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

To hold the cover 11 in its closed position on the body 10, a latch 21 preferably is formed on the front end wall 19 of the cover and projects downwardly therefrom to engage and hook under a horizontal keeper bar 22 projecting forwardly from the top edge of the front body wall 14 (see Fig. 2). Extending downwardly at opposite ends of the keeper bar 22 are guide bars 23 which project forwardly from the front body wall to receive the latch between them and prevent lateral shifting of the front and of the cover relative to the body.

The present invention relates to the hinge 16 and resides in a novel construction of the latter and the adjacent parts of the cover and the body 11 and 10 to facilitate the formation and machine assembly of the members and to provide a pleasing appearance of the container. The hinge 16 includes a pair of flat cars 24 projecting downwardly from the rear end of the cover to lie along side the inner sides of the side walls 12 of the body adjacent the rear body wall 15 when the container is assembled. Lugs or tits 25 projecting laterally and outwardly from the depending portions of the cars 24 are received in inwardly open recesses 26 formed in the body side walls at points spaced downwardly from the top edges of these walls. The spacing of each car 24 inwardly from the adjacent side edge of the cover or the outer side of the adjacent side wall 17 is equal approximately to the thickness of the body side walls 12 so that the ears lie closely adjacent and even contact the latter walls when the lugs are seated in the recesses.

Such location of the ears 24 at the rear end of the cover 11 and along the inner sides of the body side walls 12 is made possible by the formation of slots 27 in the rear end wall 15 of the body adjacent the ears to receive the latter and permit free rearward swinging thereof through the rear body wall in the openingmovement of the cover. These slots 27 extend downwardly from the top edge of the rear body wall 15' and along the junctions between the rear wall-and the side walls 12 of the body to permit swinging of the cover to an open position past the vertical as shown in Fig. 2. Such swinging of the cover is limited in this instance by engagement between the bottoms of the slots 27 and the rear edges of the cars 24, the cover side walls 17 being recessed as indicated at 28 (Fig. 4) and the rear end wall of the cover being shortened to receive the rear body wall as the cover swings past the vertical.

In addition to permitting the cars 24 and the lugs 25 thereon to be located within the container, the slots 27 facilitate assembly of the cover 11 and the body 10 by freeing the upper ends of the body side walls 12 adjacent the rear end wall 15 so that the side walls may flex outwardly just enough to receive the ears 24 and the lugs 25 between them in the downward movement of the cover onto the body. Although the body side walls 12 may flex due to the slots 27, the latter extend only partially along the depth of the rear body wall 15 and just far enoughto receive the cars 24 while preserving a sulficient stiffness of the side walls 12 to insure firm seating of the lugs 25 in the recesses 26 and the maintenance of such seating in service use of the container.

Assembly of the body and the cover is facilitated further by forming on the interior of the body side Walls 12 indentations or depressions 30 which receive the lugs 25 and guide the latter into the recesses 26. These indentations open inwardly toward each other and extend downwardly from the top edge of the body side Walls 12 to the recesses, the indentations being shallower than the recesses adjacent the latter as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 to insure a tight fit of the lugs in the recesses. At their upper ends, the indentations are made somewhat'deeper, the defining surfaces thereof being inclined upwardly and outwardly as indicated at 31 (Figs. 3 and 4) to form follower surfaces engageable by the lugs 25 and cammed outwardly thereby in the downward assembling movement of the cover 11 onto the body 10.

In assembling the two parts of the container, the body 10 is supported with its open end up and the cover 11 is moved bodily downward and is pressed onto the body.

During such movement, the cover is horizontally disposed with its side and end walls 17, 19 and 20 alined respectively with the side and end walls 12, 14 and 15 of the body. As the cover approaches the body, the lugs 25 first engage the follower surfaces 31 on the body side walls 12 to fiex the upper portions of the latter outwardly as permited by the slots 27 and then pass between the walls and into the guide indentations 30, the ears 24 also flexing inwardly as the lugs move downwardly into the guide indentations. At the same time, the latch 21 engages the keeper bar 22 and bends outwardly to pass around the latter. In the final assembly movement of the cover as the walls of the latter and the body move into abutting engagement, the latch bar passes under the keeper bar and the lugs 25 pass downwardly out of the guide indentan'ons 30 and into the recesses 26 to permit the body side walls and the ears to return to their original positlons.

With the recesses 26 and guide indentations 30 formed directly on the body side walls 12, the latter have no overhanging parts and the body may be formed easily in a single molding operation. The slots 27, which permit location of the hinge parts within the container and also free portions of the body side walls 12 for easy insertion of the ears 24 and lugs 25 between them, do not detract from the side appearance of the container because the exterior of the container sides can be smooth and flat.

I claim as my invention:

1. A container having, in combination, a rectangular open topped body, a flat rectangular cover adapted to rest on the top edges of side and end walls of said body and having a pair of ears projecting downwardly from its rear end portion and spaced apart to pass between and lie alongside and closely adjacent the inner sides of said side body walls, means on the inner side of each of said side walls adjacent the rear end wall of said body defining an inwardly opening recess spaced downwardly from the top edge of the side wall, lugs projecting outwardly from said ears and seated in said recesses to define a pivot for said cover when the latter is resting on said body, means defining slots in said rear body wall extending downwardly from the top edge of the later and along said side Walls to receive said ears when said cover is swung about said pivot to an open position, said slots freeing said side walls adjacent said rear walls for outward flexing of side walls to receive said ears and said lugs thereon, and means on the inner sides of said side walls defining inwardly opening depressions shallower than said recesses and extending downwardly toward the latter from the top edges of the side walls to guide said lugs into said recesses during assembly of the cover onto said body.

2. A container having, in combination, a rectangular open topped body having parallel side walls spanned at opposite ends by parallel end walls, a flat rectangular cover adapted to rest on the top edges of said body walls and having a pair of ears projecting downwardly from its rear end portion and spaced apart to pass between and lie alongside and closely adjacent the inner sides of the rear end portions of said side walls, mean on the inner side of each of said side walls adjacent said rear wall defining an inwardly opening recess spaced downwardly from the top edge of the side Wall, lugs projecting outwardly from said ears and into said recesses to define a pivot for said cover when the latter is resting on said body, and means defining slots in said rear body wall extending downwardly from the top edge of the latter and along the junctions between said side walls and the rea wall to receive said ears when said cover is swung about said pivot to an open position and to permit flexing of the upper portions of the side walls to receive said lugs and ears between them in the assembly of said cover onto said body.

3. A container having, in combination, a rectangular open topped body having parallel side walls spanned at opposite ends by parallel end walls, a flat rectangular cover adapted to rest on the top edges of said body walls and having a pair of ears projecting downwardly from its rear end portion and spaced apart to pass between and lie alongside and closely adjacent the inner sides of the rear end portions of said side walls, each of said ears and the adjacent side wall constituting a pair of hinge members, one of said members of each of said pairs having a recess opening toward the other member and the latter having an integral lug projecting therefrom toward and into the recess to define a pivot for said cover, and means defining slots in said rear body wall extending downwardly from the top edge of the latter and along the junctions between said side walls and the rear wall to receive said ears when said cover is swung about said pivot to an open position and to permit flexing of the upper portions of the side walls outwardly away from each other to en able said lugs to seat in said recesses as said cover is moved bodily toward said body and said ears move inwardly along said side walls during assembly of the cover onto the body.

4. A container having, in combination, a rectangular open topped body having upstanding side and end walls, a fiat rectangular cover adapted to rest on the top edges of said body walls and having a pair of cars projecting downwardly from its rear end portion and spaced apart to pass between and lie alongside and closely adjacent the inner sides of the rear end portions of said side walls, each of said ears and the adjacent side wall constituting a pair of hinge members, one of said members of each of said pairs having a recess opening toward the other member and the latter having an integral lug projecting therefrom toward and into the recess to define a pivot for said cover, means defining slots in said rear wall extending downwardly from the top edge thereof to receive said ears when said cover is swung about said pivot to an open position and to permit flexing of the upper portions of the side walls outwardly away from each other to receive said ears and enable said lugs to seat in said recesses, a first latch member on the front end wall of said body, a second latch member depending from the front end of said cover and adapted to lie along said front end wall and interlock releasably with said first latch member, and guide means on said front end wall and said cover cooperating to avoid lateral shifting of the cover relative to said body during assembly of the cover and the body, said hinge members and said latch members cooperating to lock said cover and the body releasably in closed relation as an incident to movement of the cover bodily and flatwise toward the body and into engagement with said top edges of said body walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 164,516 Ruskin Sept. 11, 1951 2,112,866 Segal Apr. 5, 1938 2,375,645 Gordon May 8, 1945 2,398,573 Becker Apr. 16, 1946 

